‘We have nowhere to park’ says Holbrook residents

Residents of Holbrook Vale in Melksham say they have had enough of not being able to park outside their own homes, due to nearby demolition work.
Lorina Sharland who lives in Holbrook Vale says she can’t take the chaos anymore and something needs to be done.
She told the Melksham News, “There are some garages being pulled down in our cul-de-sac and it’s causing chaos as all the builders are parking their vans and great big lorries where we park our cars.
“We had cranes, cement lorries, vans and more parking all over the grass verge, taking all the spaces that we normally use.
“We don’t all have a driveway so we park on the road but every day for about two months, we’ve had nowhere to park. We’ve had to wait for an hour at times, just to park outside our homes.
“It’s like living in hell at moment and it’s frustrating because no-one seems to want to help us. If we needed an ambulance or fire engine, I don’t know what would happen because there’s no way they would be able to get through. And that’s worrying for us because our five year-old son has a heart condition.
“Selwood Housing need to take responsibility and do something. We need appropriate parking. We feel like no-one is on our side and we can’t put up with this for much longer.”
Robert Ehlenbach who also lives in Holbrook Vale said, “I’m disabled and being able to park close to my house is essential because I have difficulty walking. There is absolutely no parking, I’ve had to move my car to my mother’s house. I heard from a neighbour that the workmen are meant to park along the main road and not in the cul-de-sac but they don’t.
“There have been so many near misses with them hitting people’s cars. One of lorries did take a massive chunk of the telegraph pole though. It’s a nightmare. I don’t know what the answer is but something needs to be done.”
A spokesperson from Selwood Housing said: “We are building two three-bedroom homes on the site of 14 old garages at Holbrook Vale. It is a small site and whilst we are trying to keep site traffic to a minimum there are occasions when there might be some disruption to the local community, such as the recent delivery of the timber frames and for this we do apologise.
“The staff on site are regularly monitoring parking to ensure access and safety for all residents and if necessary emergency services. We hope that these homes will be completed by Autumn 2016.
“With the cost of buying a home out of reach for so many people in Wiltshire with the average house in Wiltshire selling in 2014 for £255,458 (10.4 times the local income rate), there is a shortage of affordable family homes for rent. In the last 10 years Selwood Housing has helped to provide 172 affordable homes on garage sites such as this one, and in the longer term, we hope that the secure affordable homes such as these have a greater benefit to the community than the garages which they replaced.”